Sunday, January 01, 2006

Bucharest: bohemian city with a checkered past

Bucharest: A Checkered Past Adds Intrigue to a Bohemian City

an article signed by Alex Crevar for The New York Times, a snapshot of Bucharest in 2005. Now Bucharest is redefining itself again, and in the process, it is fast becoming an intriguing alternative destination in Europe. In the last year alone, there has been a 24 percent increase in tourism from the United States, according to the national tourist office in New York. And though the city has a ways to go before its rough edges are smoothed out, the anticipation of what the future might bring is palpable.

Nice read, some practical excerpts listed here:

Visitor information

There is no tourist office in Bucharest yet. But travel information isavailable from the Romanian National Tourist Office in New York, 212-545-8484,and at www.romaniatourism.com. Through 2006, both the old and new lei,which essentially lops four digits off the old lei, will be in circulation,so prices can be in either. The exchange rates to the dollar are 31,185lei, and 3.12 new lei.

Getting there

Many airlines go to Bucharest from the United States through other European cities,but not nonstop. In mid-December, a Web search found mid-January fares startingat $566.

Where to stay

The dialing codes are 40 for Romania and 21 for Bucharest.

The RembrandtHotel, in the historic center at 11 Smardan Street, 313-9315, www.rembrandt.ro,has 15 homey rooms - leather armchairs and Tiffany-style desk lamps -that, with tax, range from 85 to 135 euros (about $102 to $162, at $1.20to the euro). High-speed Internet, a bar and bistro, and 24-hour roomservice are among the amenities.

Overlooking Revolution Square, AthénéePalace Hilton, 1-3 Episcopiei Street, is the grande dame of Bucharesthotels. Built in 1914, the hotel is swathed in marble, has 272 roomsthat range from 340 to 830 euros, five restaurants, wireless Internetand a health club. Information: 303-3777;

Where to dine

Amsterdam Grand Cafe, 6 CovaciStreet, 313-7581, serves everything from quesadillas to chicken satay,and has a varied wine list. A meal for two, with drinks, runs about $25. Balthazar,2 Dumbrava Rosie, 212-1460, offers French-Asian-inspired lunches and dinner,and is a perfect example of how much quality you can get in Bucharest foralmost nothing. Dinner with wine cost me less than $15.

What to see and do

The Village Museum, in north Bucharest at 28-30 Soseaua Kiseleff, displaysRomania's bucolic history with 50 houses, shops and churches from all overthe country. Open Tuesday through Sunday. Entry is 5 new lei. Information:222-9110, www.muzeul-satului.ro. The Palace of Parliament, 1 Calea 13 Septembrie,311-3611, thought to be a catastrophic blunder from both an architectureand social fabric perspective, has somehow turned into a bragging pointrather than a monument to an ironfisted dictator. Open daily; 20 new lei. Housedinside the Royal Palace at 49-53 Calea Victoriei, the National Art Museumis full of great works by the likes of Rubens, Monet, Rembrandt and ElGreco. It is open Wednesday through Sunday, and entry is 12 new lei. Information:314-8119 and online at art.museum.ro/museum.html.
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Source article: Bucharest: A Checkered Past Adds Intrigue to a Bohemian City - New York Times

posted by Travel in Romania @ 3:58 AM